Peru LNG transport gradually coming back after pipeline rupture

LIMA, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation in Peru is being gradually restored after a pipeline rupture this month choked off exports, its operator Transportadora de Gas del Peru (TGP) said on Thursday.

Exports were suspended because the Pampa Melchorita liquefaction facility, Peru's sole LNG plant, had stopped getting supplies from the Camisea gas fields in the Peruvian jungle. The pipeline rupture was caused by heavy rains and landslides in the Cusco region.

"Despite the difficult climatic conditions in the area, the company's technical team completed repair of the pipeline as planned," TGP said in a statement.

Government data show no natural gas shipment has left Peru since Feb. 5, when the Barcelona Knutsen left the Pampa Melchorita export terminal on the Pacific coast for Spain carrying 115,521 cubic meters of LNG. The Peru LNG consortium normally exports five or six shipments of about 150,000 cubic meters each month.

The Camisea fields, which form Peru's largest natural gas reserves, are operated by Argentine oil company Pluspetrol. The pipelines that transport the output have suffered various bursts and spills since operations began in 2004. (Reporting by Marco Aquino, writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Ian Simpson)